Chase Elliott risks controversy with brutally honest NASCAR statement

NASCAR star Chase Elliott has risked sparking a fierce debate after sharing a controversial opinion with the media ahead of this weekend's Goodyear 400.

Darlington Raceway is playing host to NASCAR's official throwback event this weekend, with a number of stars running retro-inspired paint schemes to celebrate some of the Cup Series' finest looks and moments throughout the years.

It appears Elliott is not a fan, though, revealing to the media that he feels NASCAR has 'rode the horse to death' with the concept.

“I thought it lost it [its luster] about four or five years ago,” Elliott stated to the media when discussing the throwback weekend. “So I was way too early to that conversation I think.

"Not to be a downer but...I joked about this before, years ago, but like, if we kept going down the road, we're gonna be throwing it back to me in like 2018.

“So, at some point, I think we got to chill on it a little bit.

"I think we've rode the horse to death, and we tend to do that a little bit too much.”

What is NASCAR's throwback weekend?

NASCAR's throwback race intends to celebrate the series' fine history, with drivers across both the Cup and Xfinity Series this weekend running modern takes on vintage paint schemes in honor of some of the sport's finest drivers.

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the annual event, with throwback weekend first held in 2015.

Darlington Raceway has hosted proceedings annually since, although it used to be held when the Southern 500 took place. This, however, was changed when Darlington was given a spring race, and the Southern 500 became a playoff race.

Given it is in its 10th iteration, it has now become somewhat of a spring tradition. However, whilst some love the weekend, others, like Elliott, clearly feel differently.

Despite his opinion, though, the No. 9 car is running a retro-inspired paint scheme this weekend, a nod to Ken Schrader's 1994 look.

READ MORE: NASCAR Qualifying Results: Hamlin denied Darlington pole as Byron stuns rivals with record-breaking lap

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